Grow pt. IV: Grow your Foundation Michael Allen; August 27th, 2023 Ephesians 4:11–16 Ephesians 4:1–8 NIV As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life…
Grow pt. IV: Grow your Foundation Michael Allen; August 27th, 2023 Ephesians 4:11–16 Ephesians 4:1–8 NIV As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life…
Each person has been given a gift by the Holy Spirit, all of them under the Lordship and Sovereignty of Jesus, to be manifest (be seen/utilized) for the good of everyone. They are empowered by the Spirit and given to each one as He wills it.
Being authentic and truly known is a scary feeling in our world today. Admitting our emotions, confessing our sins, these create ways people could hurt us. But scripture offers a better way. By growing in our humility, we learn that confessing our weaknesses of sin and emotional burdens to our brothers and sisters is a way for us to grow in our relationship with the Lord, by glorifying His power over all.
God’s word has a ton to say about relationships, how to make them, maintain them, and the benefits of having them. I have chosen one passage to focus on that talks about the benefits of relationships. This was more than likely written to King Solomon, and the place it is most commonly quoted is at weddings. Even though this is applicable to marriage, its greater context is for all relationships.
Guest Speaker Dave Ogren, a seasoned pastor and U.S. Mission Director with Great Commission Media Ministries teaches on “Hearing God’s Voice in Crucial Times” from Acts 16:1-10.
After Jesus had His confrontation at the temple with the Jewish religious leaders, they wanted to kill Jesus, so He left. As He went along, He continued to do the work that He was called to do. In this case, He had an encounter with a man born blind. I am not going to go through every verse in this passage, but again focus our attention on what we learn about Jesus.
Jesus and the Jews are in a heated disagreement with claims and accusations dropping like bombs. Who does Jesus think He is? In His strongest statement yet, Jesus reveals who He is while offering eternal life to those who obey His word.
If we do not hold onto the truth, then we hold onto a lie. By this evidence we indicate that we are then children of the lie and the liar, who is the devil. Those who are his children look to fulfill his will, which is to steal, kill, and destroy. But those who hold onto the truth from God are the ones who belong to God, and they have received life and aim to be agents of life everywhere they go.
Jesus, the greatest of all emancipators, the hero of all humankind, conquered sin and death by His sinless life and death defeating resurrection, breaking us free from the power of sin and death. And who the Son sets free is free indeed.
Jesus makes incredibly audacious claims about Himself and what will happen to us without Him. What are we to make of this? Is Jesus telling the truth, and how can we know? Let’s listen to His teaching in John 8:12-30 to understand what He claims and discern what this means for us and the world.